On Thursday 27th August as part of the Day 2 plenary session of ADEE 2026 Budapest, Prof Mohammed Al-Haroni, representing the ADEE Excellence in Dental Education Committee, presented the 2026 ADEE Haleon Dentistry in Society Award to two projects from ADEE member institutions.
PaFein+ (Pain-Free Dentistry for Children) a Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnerships in Higher Education programme led by ADEE member institution Istanbul Kent University from Türkiye received financial support of €2,500 to continue the promotion of its activities and positive outcomes. Over the past five years, the PaFein+ strategy has evolved from an evidence-based educational concept into a comprehensive international educational programme aimed at reducing anxiety, pain, and unnecessary pharmacological interventions in pediatric dental care. A major milestone was the development of a 14-week higher education curriculum together with a condensed one-day seminar and workshop format to facilitate wider dissemination. pilot partnership was developed in Romania with another project targeting school teachers and families (https://miciistomatologi.ro/), and an estimated 7000 Romanian families were thus reached by PaFein+ educational materials targeting the public.
Newcastle University’s Oral Health Education (OHE) initiative received financial support of €2,500 to continue its dentistry in society activities. The Newcastle University strategy aims to provide learning opportunities in preventative dentistry for communities experiencing oral health inequalities across North-East England. A key objective of the strategy is to provide clinical learning opportunities through Dental Outreach Placements within Community Dental Services, serving some of the city’s most deprived communities. The Newcastle University student led OHE group “Brush-Up” works with nurseries, schools and community partners, to promote evidence-based prevention, including toothbrushing, healthy dietary advice and parental education. This initiative contributes to reducing childhood dental caries and reinforces key public health messages within local communities. Through the student-led Brush-Up programme and related outreach initiatives, students have worked with numerous community partners, including Wallsend Children’s Community, West End Schools Trust, Connected Voice, Riverside Community Health Project, Barnardo’s Byker Sands Centre, Children North East, Cowgate Community Centre, the Newcastle United Foundation, Tyne & Wear Citizens ‘MumSpace’ organisations supporting asylum seekers, refugees and vulnerable families.
The ADEE board is most appreciative to Haleon for their annual support of the Dentistry in Society award as a means of show casing the excellent work carried out by ADEE member institutions that are having real community impact. Congratulations to both recipients and we ok forward to following their progress in the coming years.
